Solar contractors who participate in the Solar City program are selected by the property owner and reimbursed by the municipality.
As a contractor, your involvement in the program will follow the steps below.
Step 1: Selection and eligibility
- Contractors will receive a request for a quote and assessment from the property owner.
- Property owners are encouraged to seek at least three quotes to ensure they receive a fair estimate.
- The municipality does not recommend individual service providers for the program.
- Contractors have the option of contacting the Solar City office to confirm that the property owner has been approved for financing and is eligible to participate.
Step 2: Quotation and assessment
- Contractor provides the property owner with a quote and solar energy assessment, which should include detailed energy savings and costs similar to the one shown here.
- Contractors receive confirmation from the property owner to proceed with the proposed solar installation.
- Contractors provide the Solar City office with the following documents for review:
- proof of valid general liability insurance with a minimum of $1,000,000 in coverage
- clearance letter from the Workers Compensation Board
- an active registry ID with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies
- an accepted quote that has been signed by the property owner
- full equipment specifications
- proof that equipment specified is CSA certified (or equivalent)
- solar energy assessment (which includes the number of solar modules, module wattage, azimuth, roof slope and shading as a percentage)
- Halifax Regional Municipality Solar building permit application
- Self-Generation documentation (if applicable):
- Completed Plans Review Submission Form
- Electric single line diagram
- Site plan
- Manufacturers equipment specification
- Solar City financing will only be approved for those portions of a system (i.e. roof aspect) that generate at least 70% of what an optimal system would generate at the same site. This means that north-facing or heavily shaded solar panels may not be approved, depending on azimuth, slope and shading factors. For further details, please reach out to the Solar City administrator before designing your system.
Step 3: System installation
- Solar City sends confirmation to contractor to proceed with system installation.
- Contractor applies for relevant permits and completes installation of the solar energy system.
- An Energy Efficiency Equipment Participant Agreement is signed by all legal property owners and executed by the municipality before the installation begins to approve financing.
Step 4: Project close out
- To close out the project, contractors must forward the following documents to the Solar City office for approval:
- completed Certification of Completion signed by all legal property owners
- the final invoice, which cannot be more than 105% of the approved system cost (HST included)
- a copy of the passed municipal building inspection
- a copy of the passed electrical inspection (if applicable)
- access to system monitoring (if applicable)
- the municipality requires a monitoring system be installed with all solar electric systems for data collection purposes
Step 5: Payment
- Upon approval of the Certification of Completion, the municipality reimburses the solar contractor for work completed
- The Solar City office will review the project completion report and verify the installation as per the original assessment.
- Invoices will be paid by the municipality within 30 days of the approved project completion report.
- The municipality will not reimburse the solar contractor more than 5% of the original quoted price.